There'a NEW Article from Gordon Barclay and Kenny Brophy, this time in response to the silly stunt of using Stonehenge as a projection screen for images of the Queen. Here is what they have to say:
"Stop Projecting Nationalism Onto Stonehenge"By Gordon Barclay and Kenny Brophy, Sapiens magazine, 20 JUN 2022
Two archaeologists respond to the portraits of Queen Elizabeth II that were beamed onto Stonehenge.
This was the latest attempt to appropriate the monument for nationalist / royalist / monarchist messages. The authors make familiar points, including a critique of the absurdity of referring to Stonehenge as a sort of nationalist icon -- English rather than British -- and of using the old ruin as part of a Brexit promotion exercise. Although they are too polite to mention Mike Parker Pearson by name, they have a go at some of the weird ideas promoted in his 2012 book.
I agree with them. The whole stunt was unspeakably vulgar, and did no service to the Queen or to Stonehenge. The EH staff responsible should be ashamed of themselves.
The danger in expropriating Stonehenge like this is that the archaeological interpretation of this prehistoric monument ends up being " preserved in aspic " as infinitum, however silly some of the motions are.
ReplyDeletead infinitum!
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